Phonics providers alleging “favouritism” in DfE training contract award –with government pledging to investigate cases of hubs pressurising schools towards particular products

A host of companies which support schools in teaching children to read are in open revolt about what they have argued is “favouritism” from the Department for Education towards one of their rivals.

In a collective email to the schools minister, Damian Hinds, 19 publishers, all of whom run accredited phonics programmes, have called on the government to withdraw a contract  of up to £100,000 with Wandle Learning Partnership, part of an academy trust which now provides resources for around a third of English primary schools, and which made millions of pounds last year from its phonics work.

The companies state that the DfE deliberately kept many of them in the dark about the bidding process for the contract, and that its handling of the process has lacked “integrity” – claims that the department has pushed back against, as it maintains that the contract was awarded fairly and will not be withdrawn.

The publishers are also alleging that a DfE system, whereby 34 “hub” primary schools have been chosen to train teachers in phonics, has seen some schools pressured into buying particular programmes with which the hub school is associated – causing the DfE to pledge to state that it had contacted the hubs to remind them that they should not to do this, and that it would investigate if presented with evidence.

Several publishers spoken to by Education Uncovered allege that while, in theory, the government espouses the use of a large unconstrained “market” in providing phonics products to schools, in reality there has been a form of cronyism, with Wandle one of two well-connected phonics players which are dominating.